Before the request
Reviews your bill with you, lists every number, checks the billing name and address character by character, and prepares the letter of authorization.
Trust Centre
Moving your number without losing calls
The number on your sign, your website and your invoices is worth more than any feature. Porting moves it to 3CTel while your old service keeps working until the cut-over. This page explains how the process works in Canada, what you need to have ready and where delays usually come from.
- Old service stays live until the scheduled cut-over
- Account number, billing name and address, recent bill
- Timing is set by the releasing carrier
Example
Search available numbers
Area code: 416
LocalToll-free(416) 555-0110
(416) 555-0125
(416) 555-0138
(416) 555-0144
(437) 555-0102
(437) 555-0171
Subject to carrier availabilityReserve selected
Number porting moves an existing phone number from one Canadian carrier to another. The new provider submits a request with the customer's authorization, the current carrier checks the details against its records, and a cut-over date is scheduled. The old service stays live until that date. 3CTel prepares the request with you, builds and tests the new system on a temporary number, and switches the number over on the confirmed date.
Last updated:
How a port works in Canada
How long processing takes is carrier-dependent. A specialist will tell you what to expect for your carrier once the request is submitted, and the cut-over date is confirmed with you before anything changes.
Request
3CTel submits a porting request for each number, using the account details you provide. The request identifies the number, the current carrier and the account it belongs to.
Authorization
You sign a letter of authorization confirming that you own the number and want it moved. Without it, no carrier will release a number, which is what protects your number from being taken by someone else.
Carrier processing
The current carrier compares the request to its own records. If the account number, billing name and address match, it approves the port. If not, it rejects it and the request is corrected and resubmitted.
Scheduled cut-over
Once approved, a date is set. On that date the number begins routing to 3CTel. Until then, calls continue to reach your current service, so there is no gap.
Number porting
Moving an existing phone number from one provider to another without changing it.
Learn more: Number portingBusiness Phone Numbers
Local, toll-free and campaign numbers that all land in one system.
Learn more: Business Phone NumbersDID (Direct Inward Dialing)
A phone number that reaches a particular extension or department directly, bypassing the main menu.
Learn more: DID (Direct Inward Dialing)What you need to have ready
| Item | Why it is needed | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Account number with your current carrier | The releasing carrier matches the request to this account | Top of a recent bill or in the carrier's online account |
| Billing name, exactly as the carrier has it | A mismatch, even a missing 'Inc.', is the most common rejection reason | The name on the bill, not the name on your sign |
| Billing address on the account | Must match the carrier's record, which may be an old address | The address on the bill |
| A recent bill or account statement | Confirms the numbers on the account and their ownership | Downloaded from the carrier or the paper copy |
| List of every number to move | Main numbers, fax lines, direct lines and toll-free numbers are each ported explicitly | Your current phone list, checked against the bill |
| Signed letter of authorization | Authorizes 3CTel to request the port on your behalf | Provided by 3CTel during planning |
Where delays come from
Most ports that take longer than expected are delayed by something in the paperwork, not by the network. The pattern is predictable enough that it can usually be prevented before the request goes in.
- Mismatched account details. The billing name or address on the request does not match the carrier's record. The carrier rejects it, and the request is corrected and resubmitted.
- Bundled services. A number tied to an internet, TV or alarm bundle may need to be separated from the bundle before it can move, and cancelling the bundle before the port can disconnect the number.
- Numbers not on the bill. A direct line or fax number that someone forgot is not requested, and only surfaces after cut-over.
- A cancelled account. If the old service is cancelled before the port completes, the number can be released back to the carrier and lost. The old account stays open until the cut-over is done.
- Toll-free numbers. These are ported through a different process from local numbers and are handled as a separate request.
Never cancel your current service before 3CTel confirms the port has completed.
Questions about porting a business number
Will we lose calls during the port?
No, provided the current service stays active until the cut-over. Calls continue to reach the old service until the number begins routing to the new one on the scheduled date. The new system is built and tested on a temporary number in the meantime, so the moment the port completes, calls land on a configuration you have already heard.
How long does porting take?
It depends on the releasing carrier and on whether the request matches its records on the first attempt. A specialist gives you an expectation for your carrier when the request is submitted, and the cut-over date is confirmed with you before it happens. Getting the account number and billing name exactly right is the single biggest factor.
Can we port a number that is part of a bundle?
Usually, but it takes an extra step. A number tied to an internet or alarm bundle may need to be separated from the bundle by the current carrier before it can move. The important thing is not to cancel the bundle first, because that can disconnect the number. A specialist reviews the bill with you and flags bundled numbers before the request goes in.
What 3CTel does at each step
While the carrier processes
Builds your greeting, menu, hours and routing on a temporary number so you can test the whole system before your real number moves.
If the request is rejected
Tells you what the carrier's rejection reason was, corrects the request with you and resubmits it.
At cut-over
Confirms the date with you in advance, watches the number begin routing to the new system, and places test calls with you once it does.
After cut-over
Confirms in writing that the port is complete so you can close the old account without risk to the number.
Related pages.
Trust Centre
What 3CTel commits to on 9-1-1, privacy, recording, porting and continuity, and what to ask any provider.
Learn more: Trust CentreBusiness Phone Numbers
Local, toll-free and campaign numbers that all land in one system.
Learn more: Business Phone NumbersBusiness Phone
Reliable calling with routing your team will actually use.
Learn more: Business PhoneNumber porting
Moving an existing phone number from one provider to another without changing it.
Learn more: Number portingLocal vs toll-free numbers
Which number goes on the sign, which goes on the website, and why the answer is often both.
Learn more: Local vs toll-free numbersSmall business phone system
One number, one short menu, and the app on the phone you already carry.
Learn more: Small business phone systemFrequently asked questions.
Yes. Each number is requested explicitly, so you can move the main line now and a fax line later, or leave a number with the old carrier if you still need it there.
Porting is quoted as part of your plan. Your current carrier may have its own terms for early cancellation of a contract, which a specialist will ask you to check on your bill.
Yes. The old service keeps working until the cut-over date, and the new system is tested on a temporary number in the meantime.
3CTel tells you the carrier's reason, most often a mismatched billing name or address, corrects the request with you and resubmits it. Your old service is unaffected.
Bring your number with you.
Tell us the numbers you want to keep. A specialist reviews the bill with you and builds the new system before anything moves.